TWO houses on Bacup's Pennine Road estate will be set on fire this month -- but the 'arson attack' will be carefully stage-managed as part of a TV drama.

Unlike the producers of BBC2's comedy The League of Gentlemen, who turned down Bacup as the location of Royston Vasey, the council estate was just the ticket for Granada TV.

The end two houses in a block in Hawthorn Road will be ''torched' as part of the filming for Blood Strangers, a drama starring Caroline Quentin, former wife of Paul Merton and best-known for her role in Men Behaving Badly.

The producers are also looking to knock one house into the other -- but promise it will be done correctly and safely.

When filming of the fire takes place, Bacup Fire Station officers will be on stand-by.

Location manager Ken Mair said he did not want to discuss the filming yet, because schedules were still being worked out.

But in a letter to Martin Yates at Bacup's Neighbourhood Office, he writes: "We would like to do some filming in numbers 14 and 16 Hawthorn Road.

"Although the schedule is in its infancy it would be for a period of about four days.

"The major thing which happens on this location is that is it is seen at one stage to be on fire. This would, of course, only be done under strict supervision, after detailed discussion and with the fire brigade standing by.

"As a matter of course, the neighbours would all be notified in advance of our intention. As well as the approximate four days filming, there would be about a week's set up and a week's derig making about three week's total use."

The filming will form part of two 90-minute episodes of the drama which will be screened on consecutive nights.

Chairman of health and housing Coun Stephen Birtwell said: "It is extremely good for the area because it puts us back on the map and it is a good use of the area. I am also a big fan of Caroline Quentin.

"We are happy to have a film crew up there. Although they are talking of knocking one house into the other it will be properly reinstated afterwards."